Marlins Eager to See Star Prospect Acquired for Jesus Sanchez Pay Off in 2026
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The Houston Astros needed outfield help and were willing to trade for it. The Miami Marlins were willing to deal Jesús Sánchez.
That’s how last July's trade went down between the two franchises. Sánchez went to the Astros and in return the Marlins received three players — right-handed pitcher Ryan Gusto, shortstop Chase Jaworsky and center fielder Esmil Valencia.
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Gusto pitched in 27 MLB games last year and is a candidate for Miami’s opening-day pitching staff. Jaworsky, the Astros’ fifth-round pick in 2023, was shipped to High-A Beloit. Valencia, an international signing out of the Dominican Republic, headed to Class-A Jupiter.
Valencia was the player Baseball America (subscription required) recently highlighted as a breakout prospect, along with outfielder Fenwick Trimble and pitcher Eliazar Dishmey.
Marlins Prospect Esmil Valencia
Valencia already has three years of professional experience under his belt, as he made a slow but steady progression through the Astros system before the trade. He spent 2023 with their Dominican Summer League team and 2024 with their Florida Complex League team. His numbers went up each season.
In 2023 in the Dominican, he slashed .262/.346/.388 with two home runs and 24 RBI. He followed that in the FCL with a slash of .289/.331/.376 with two home runs and 18 RBI. While his slugging and on-base percentages went down, his batting average went up.
Houston sent him to Class-A Fayetteville for his first year with a full-season affiliate and he go t in 83 games before the trade. He slashed .263/.325/.357 with five home runs and 36 RBI. He struck out 82 times and walked only 22 times.
After the trade, something happened for the 20-year-old Valencia. Something clicked. His number spiked in just 24 games. He slashed .327/.367/.510 with three home runs and 21 RBI. Notably, he only struck out 17 times while he drew eight walks.
Did Baseball America’s scouts notice anything different? The article’s writer, Jacob Rudner, pointed to “frequent quality contact” with the baseball even has his whiff rates and chase rates worry scouts. Those can be refined over time, but they’re primarily responsible for his high strikeouts rates, especially in 2024.
His scouting grades bode well for him as a defensive player. He grades 65 for running, 65 for his arm and 55 for fielding. But he only grades 50 for hitting and 45 for power, signaling that he’ll need to bring his offense in line with his defense to truly break out in 2026. If he can, he can make a multi-affiliate jump and start getting Marlins executives talking about 2027.
